


Called It

by InformallyYours



Category: Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: F/M, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, SnowBaz, carry on, lucy and davy are not who you think they are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-08-20 07:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8240762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InformallyYours/pseuds/InformallyYours
Summary: Life after Watford is peaceful.No pain, just happiness. I decided to be nice. (Major kudos to SpontaneouslyYours. She's basically here to tell me what's working and what should never have been written in the first place)





	1. Chapter 1

**Penny**

 

"Simon, you need to clean up!" I shout from my bedroom.

"But Penny, Baz is home and I don't think I should leave his side. He might need help with some of his uni work," Simon replies.

"I don't give a fuck about Baz. No offence, Baz."

"None taken, Bunce," Baz calls.

"Simon, please. Micah's coming into town today and the flat needs to be clean. It's been four months since I've seen him and he hasn't been here since we moved in."

I hear something fall. Baz mutters something and Simon apologises. Then Simon runs into my room. "Micah's coming? Why didn't you tell me? Crowley, Penny! A little heads up would be nice." Simon is panting like he's out of breath. You'd think he'd be in shape, seeing as he's always lugging his wings and tail around with him, but no. I think he has something against exercise. 

Baz is not far behind Simon. "Didn't I tell you, Snow?" Simon shakes his head and glares at Baz. "It must have slipped my mind. Why do you think I'm home all week?"

"I don't know. I figured it was because you loved me. And it didn't slip your mind, you just didn't tell me."

"Well, I do love you. But that wasn't the reason this time." Baz leans in to kiss Simon and I clear my throat.

"Look, just because you two haven't seen each other in a whole two days, doesn't mean that you can carry on with these disgusting PDA's," I say.

"Oh, like you and Micah won't be doing the same thing," Simon mumbles.

"That's different, Snow." Baz says, "Micah has been in America and Bunce is just super horny. We should let her have this weekend," Baz replies, coolly.

"Oh, shut it, Basil. I haven't seen my boyfriend in four months, and I'm about to go pick him up from the airport. When I get home, the flat should be clean. And Baz, no magick. Simon has to do it himself," I say, walking past the two of them and grabbing my coat.

"What? Penny, come on! You'll be gone maybe half an hour! How do you expect me to clean this flat all by myself?"

I wrap my scarf around my neck, "Figure it out, Simon," I say, winking at him. "I'll be home soon. I'll text you when I see Micah. Be good, boys!" I call, walking out the door.

Honestly, I don't know what Simon is complaining about. The flat isn't even that messy. There are just a few dishes in the sink and some cups on the end table. I shouldn't expect it to be too hard, but knowing Simon, it'll take him the whole time just to get the dishes washed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Baz**  

"Simon," I say, "You need to get off of me. Bunce and her American beau will be home in a few minutes."

Snow smiles into my chest. "You called me Simon."

I roll my eyes. "Don't push it, love. C'mon, it's just a few dishes. Bunce has been cleaning like a maniac for most of the weekend."

Simon looks up at me. "Is that's what she was doing?" I chuckle. "Can't you just spell it all away?"

"No, because Bunce scares me."

"You, a vampire, afraid of Penny?"

"Like you're not terrified of her."

"Fair point," he says, lifting himself off my chest. "I don't know how Micah hasn't gone crazy yet."

"Don't say that to Bunce, she might make a bad batch of scones and ruin them for you forever."

Simon gasped dramatically. "Don't even suggest that!"

I stand up and pull Snow with me. His tail wraps around me as he stands, pulling me close.

"Baz, you know I love you, right? You know that you're my favourite person in the world?"

"Love, I'm not using magick. No amount of flattery will change that."

Snow put his hand to his chest and gasped again. "How could you even insinuate that? I was simply reminding you how much I love you. I would never try to bribe you." He leans his forehead against mine, his lips centimetres away from my mouth. No matter how many times I stare at them, I will never get used to Simon Snow's eyes. That is a fact.

That happens to be the moment Penny chooses to walk in. She groans, and opens the door wider, and clears her throat.

 

**Micah**  

I don't know what to expect when we get to Penny's flat. I know she lives with Simon, but not much else. She doesn't talk much in the car. It's not like her to be so quiet. I almost feel like she isn't happy to see me. I mean, sure, she squealed and kissed me when I got off the plane, but... I don't know.

We walk up to her apartment. The building is pretty nice. I don't think she could afford it alone. Not that I'd ever say that to her. She scares me sometimes.

When she gets to the door, she opens it slowly. Then she groans. I try to look over her head, and she realizes that I'm still standing behind her. She opens the door wider and I poke my head in the apartment. I can feel my mouth hanging open. I'm not sure what is more surprising, how old Simon and Baz look, the fact that they're very close to kissing, the fact that they don't seem to hate each other, or the fact that Simon has a fucking tail. And WINGS! Penny clears her throat and they look up.

"Boys," Penny says calmly, "I thought we talked about this."

Basil looks smug. "Well, technically, it's not a 'Public Display of Affection', because it's not in public."

"Also," Simon adds, "it's not technically a display of affection. We could be about to rip each other's throats out."

Penny sighs. Baz raises an eyebrow at me as I walk through the door. All this time, I assumed it was Baz. What if it isn't? That would make a lot of sense. I don't think that Simon could ever fall in love with Baz. I'm pretty sure they were, like, sworn enemies.

Suddenly, there are arms around me. Simon is hugging me. The guy who looks like Baz is smiling.

"Simon," the guy says, "I thought we talked about this. No PDA's." 

"You called me Simon," Simon says, pulling back and going over to the guy who I can only assume is his boyfriend. "That's twice today, Baz. I think that's a new record." 

So it is Baz...

"You're pushing it, Simon." He says, grinning.

"Boys, this is what would be considered a PDA. I think you're making Micah uncomfortable." Penny looks over at me.

"N-no, it's just so much to process, the apartment, the fact that Simon and Baz are not enemies, but apparently in love with each other, the fact that Simon has wings and a tail..." I look at the floor. Damn, this is awkward.

"I suppose I should have... caught you up a bit in the car," Penny says.

"It's fine, really. Is there anything I'm missing?"

"I lost my magic," Volunteers Simon.

"You what?" This is definitely news.

"My god, do you Americans know about anything that happens outside of your little country?" Baz asks. He seems genuinely surprised that I didn't know.

 "I've been kind of busy with college," I say, annoyed. What does Simon see in Baz? He's so cruel.

 

**Simon**

I elbow Baz. The way he's talking to Micah is kind of rude. I suppose there's no reason for him to be nice, though, other than human (vampire?) decency.

Baz rolls his eyes. "I apologise, Micah." Baz says, "I believe I was rather cruel to you during fourth year."

I jump in, "He was plotting. To push me down the stairs." Penny laughs, Baz groans, and Micah just looks confused.

"Right, well, we should be getting dressed for dinner," Penny says.

"Dinner?" I ask.

"I must have forgotten to tell you about that too, then." Baz looks off to the left, a smirk apparent on his face.

"Well, either way, you need to get dressed," Penny says. I must have had a look of disgust on my face, because she adds, "It'll be fun. Like a double date!"

Merlin and Morgana, why me? "I'm sorry, Baz agreed to this?"

"Penny scared me into it," Baz whispers in my ear, "I'm only doing this so she doesn't turn me into a frog. We both know she wouldn't kiss me to turn me back."

I laugh, and Penny raises an eyebrow.

"Right then, Snow. Let's get dressed up."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also doing this on Wattpad, and it might be more up to date there...
> 
> I am so bad at updating. 
> 
> Apologies


	3. Chapter 3

**Agatha**

 

I should call Penny. I feel like I haven't talked to her in ages. I think she said something about Micah visiting her soon. I wonder if they're together now.

My flatmate pops her head in my room. "Agatha, we're going dancing tonight. You should come! You might meet a guy... or a girl."

"What?"

"Hey, I don't know which way you swing! Maybe you'll get lucky tonight." God, I miss my old flatmates. They knew that I was ace. I've only shared an apartment with Kalli for a few months, hardly enough time for me to come out. There's no point anyway, she probably wouldn't understand it, most people don't.

"Actually, I think I'm going to catch up with an old friend tonight," I say. "But thanks for the invite."

Kalli smiles. I think she might suspect something, as I've never brought anyone home. If she does, though, she doesn't say anything.

"Well, if you change your mind, text me." 

Maybe I should tell Kalli. I think she'd be cool with it. Maybe she’d even understand it.

I pick up my phone. I should call Penny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really short. To make up for that, I might post another chapter later this weekend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Micah**

“Pen, your phone is ringing,” I shout.

“Who is it?” She calls from the bathroom.

“Uhh...” I look at the caller ID. “Ags? With a bunch of hearts after it.”

“Say it again?” She says, turning off the hair dryer.

“Just… hold on.” I clicked the green button, “Hello? This is Penny’s phone.”

“Who the fuck is thi- Micah?” A voice on the other side of the line shrieks.

“Uhh… Yes? Who is this?”

“It’s Agatha, dimwit.” Ohhhhhh.

“Oh, right. You were Simon’s girlfriend, right?” Should I tell her about Baz? That would be wrong, right? It's not my place to tell? Maybe she already knows.

“Yeah. Thank Merlin Simon found Baz, it made my life a hell of a lot easier.” She says, practically reading my thoughts. “Is Penny there? Or Baz?”

“Penny’s getting ready, but Simon and Baz are in the living room. Let me get them.”

 

**Agatha**

I guess I should have texted her first. That would have been the smart thing to do. I feel bad, I might have interrupted something. I’m not sure what, as Penny was supposedly in the bathroom, and Baz and Simon were right there, but… I don’t know. Maybe it’s just my anxiety getting the best of me again.

I listen to some shuffling, then some muffled talking. Finally, I hear something relevant.

“Wellbelove. How kind of you to call. You’re on speaker.” God, it’s Basil. Of course, it is. Who else would answer the phone all posh-like?

“Baz, I think I’m going to tell Kalli, my flatmate,” I say.

“Tell her what?” Baz asks. I’m not sure if he genuinely doesn’t know what I’m talking about, or if he just wants to hear me say it.

I groan, “Nevermind. You’re hopeless. I’m just going to hang up now.”

“Agatha,” Simon says, “what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Simon,” I say, as softly as possible. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Love, stop making that face. You don’t look attractive when you’re confused,” I hear Baz say.

Simon gasps. “I always look attractive!”

“Baz is right,” I say, “your face gets all twisted and weird.”

“Agatha, why did you call Penny? I’m sure it wasn’t so you and Baz could insult me.”

“Right, erm, Simon, can you go get Penny for me?” I don’t know how Simon will react, so maybe I’ll just tell him in person. Or at least on FaceTime.

“Yeah, sure,” Simon says, no doubt bouncing off.

“Basil, you know exactly what,” I say, as soon as I’m sure Simon is gone.

“That I do. Am I really the person you should discuss this with?”

“No, but you’ve come out to plenty of people, and Penny has a way with words, so I am requesting your guys’ help.” Why am I explaining myself to Baz? I think I’ve been gone too long.

“Okay, Ags. Shoot.” Finally, Penny’s here.

“I’m going to tell Kalli,” I say.

“Why are you telling me? And why is Baz here?” Why _am_ I telling her?

“I don’t know, to talk me out of it? Actually, don’t do that, I’m doing a well enough job of that on my own. Maybe I should start by telling Simon.”

 

**Penny**

“You haven’t told Simon yet?” I shout.

“Well, no.”

“You didn’t think that the guy who was once in love with you might want to know that?”

“Well, I ‒ I don’t know…”

“Wow, Wellbelove, that’s cold,” Baz adds, cooly.

“Basil, I don’t want to hear it. Have you told Simon that you’re so far in love with him

that you’re drowning?”

“As a matter of fact, Wellbelove, I have. So, ha.”

I groan. “Look, you two. I only have one of my wings done, so I’m going to hang up the phone. Ags, I will text you after dinner. I don’t suggest talking to Baz again,” Baz rolls his eyes, “as he will probably end up driving everyone’s self-esteem farther into the ground.”

“Alright, Pen, I’ll talk to you later.” Agatha hangs up.

I’m surprised she hasn’t lost her accent yet. I mean, she’s been living there for almost two years now, and probably hasn’t had any contact with anyone with an English accent besides me. Maybe she only watches BBC America or something. Just enough to hold onto the accent. Just enough to remind her of home.

 

**Simon**

Baz walks into the room. He looks so stunning. And he’s wearing jeans. Dark jeans, that look really good on him. I grin. I can’t help myself.

“What?” He asks.

“Oh, nothing. It’s just I can’t get over how handsome you look in jeans. I mean honestly, it’s not even fair. I could have a heart attack any second, and it would be all your fault. Just because you’re wearing jeans tonight,” I say.

Baz rolls his eyes. “I was wearing jeans earlier today, love.”

“Yeah but you’re wearing different jeans now. Darker jeans. I have to admire you all over again.”

Baz just stares at me.

“This is the part where you say ‘Oh, I love you. How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?’.”

Baz clears his throat. “Oh, I love you. How did I get so lucky? What did I do to deserve this?” He said flatly.

I shrug. “I’ll take what I can get. What did Agatha call about?”

Baz looks away for a second, then makes direct eye contact. “If I told you, then I’d have to kill you.” He says, very seriously. Then he grins.

I roll my eyes. “Really, though. Is she alright?”

“She’s fine, love. Just needed some advice on what to wear tonight. Apparently, she’s got a date.” Baz takes my hand and leads me out of the bedroom.

 

**Baz**

I feel bad about lying to Simon.

I suppose it’s not really my place to tell, though.

I look at my watch. 5:30 already. We should leave before we miss our reservation. I take Simon’s hand and lead him into the living room. Penny still isn’t ready. Micah is sitting on the couch looking horribly uncomfortable. I could smile at him, but I fear that would make him even more uncomfortable.

Before long, Simon has broken the silence. He and Micah are talking about what life in America is like.

Simon Snow is the only person I know who can be kind to anyone. And I love him for it. It makes him better than me, and he should be better than me.

I really do feel bad about lying to Simon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took way too long. I've had so much stuff to do(excuses, excuses, ik). I'll probably have another chapter out later this week


	5. Chapter 5

**Micah**

“Now, I’m not saying that I want to leave America, I’m just saying that killer clowns and the presidential candidates make it hard to want to stay,” I say to Simon.

I’ve only had a few drinks, but it feels like so much more. Penny and Baz walk behind us, probably pretending they don’t know us. I figure that come tomorrow morning, I will have plenty of pictures to fill me in on what I don’t remember.

“Well, you’re always welcome in England. I think the queen right now is pretty great, and everyone here thinks clowns are creepy anyway. They might as well just ban clownship.”

“Clownship?”

“The act of being a clown,” Simon slurs.

“Now that’s not such a bad idea, there, Simon.”

“I was just thinking off the top of my head.”

 

**Penny**

Baz groans. “Why on earth‒”

“Just- wait a second. I want to see if they suggest we hit this pub as well.”

“Hey, Baz.” Simon turns around. “Baz. Basil. Basilton. Tyr-”

“Just give it up, man. I don’t think he’s paying attention. He’s too busy staring at your ass,” Micah says, winking at Baz and me.

“Bunce, I question your taste in men.”

“And I yours, Pitch.”

“I question my taste on a daily basis.” We chuckle. 

I really do like Baz. He’s a lot of fun to hang out with. During the summer, when he was home from Uni all the time, we would sit and have a glass of wine and talk. It was nice. I miss that sometimes. Not that Simon couldn’t do that, it’s just… I don’t know. Sometimes, I wish we were closer to Agatha. She would understand.

 

**Simon**

“So, last time I really talked to you, I didn’t hear anything about a boyfriend.” Micah’s voice drops down to a loud whisper.

“When was the last time you really talked to me?”

Micah giggles. “I think it was the first day of Christmas break our senior year.”

“Senior year? Micah, we’re in England, use the Queen’s English.”

“Right, of course.” Micah clears his throat and continues in a very fake, very exaggerated British accent. “It must have been, oh, I don’t know, 8th year? Fiddlesticks, how long ago was that?”

We laugh. I’m pretty sure I hear Baz roll his eyes. (He has a very extreme, very loud eye roll.)

“Well, that explains it. Baz and I got together during Holiday. I think it’s quite a romantic story, really. He was going to set himself on fire, and I kissed him, and he kissed me, then he put the fire out and‒ ” I stop. Baz has too. He looks at me like he’s going to kill me. Micah must not know. “‒ and we went back to his place and stayed up all night eating leftovers and snogging. Then, of course, a bunch of shit happened‒ his family’s mansion burnt down, Ebb got killed, I killed the Mage- accidentally, of course-, I lost my magick and got stuck with these shits,” I gesture to my wings and tail, “but in the end, Baz and I ended up coming out together at the Leavers’ Ball. Like I said. Very romantic.”

“Woah. You could write a book on that.”

“I know, right? I keep telling Penny that she could do most of it, and Baz and I could fill in the other chapters. I’m thinking 59 through 62 should be focused on Baz and me.”

“Why those ones?”

“I don’t know. I just really like those numbers.”

“Hmm. Seems legit.”

“Yup.” We laugh.

“So, you’re gay then?”

“Nah.”

“Bi?”

“I guess. I mean, I don't really think about it. All I know is I love Baz and he is all I need. I don’t really care about much else.”

“That’s real nice, Simon.”

“Yeah. It is.”

 

**Baz**

I never knew that’s how Simon felt. Apparently, neither did Penelope.

“Has he ever said that to you before?” She asks.

“Not once.”

“That was really sweet.” She sighs lightly.

I smile and walk a little faster to catch up with Simon. I wrap my arms around his waist. He stops and mumbles something.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“I have a boyfriend. I love him.”

“I know, Simon. I am your boyfriend.”

“I’m pretty sure I know my boyfriend. He’s really pretty. And he has really sharp cheekbones. Like, I could cut our wedding cake with them.”

I look over at Bunce. She’s suppressing laughter.

“Our wedding cake, huh?”

“Yeah… Hey, wait a minute. That’s you. You’re my boyfriend, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Some guy tried to hug me. I just thought you should know.”

“Yes, that was me, love.”

“Oh.”

“How much have you had to drink?”

“Probably too much. Are you sure you’re my boyfriend? You’re really handsome.”

“I’m sure. Let’s get a cab for the rest of the way.”

Penny hails a cab and we all get in. Micah and Simon sit in the back. I go to sit up front but Simon pulls me in next to him.

Simon looks at me very seriously. “Basilton,” He says, “I. Love. You.” I smile. Then his eyes go wide. His hand shoots to his back. “Have I always had these?” He whispers.

“Yes, love. Since eighth year. Now stop talking.”

“But-”

“Snow, you’ve had too much to drink. You’ll end up saying something stupid.”

“Like, what? Marry me?”

I stop. Simon looks up at me.

“Simon-” My voice falters.

He leans his head against my shoulder. I can feel him smile. “You called me Simon.”

The cab stops in front of the apartment. I wave of relief washes over me. “C’mon, love. Let’s get you to bed. You’ll have a hard enough time tomorrow as it is.”

We walk in the door and Penny helps Micah to her room. I take Simon into his.

I strip him down to his boxers and undershirt and help him into bed. I start to walk away so I can get my pyjamas on, but he grabs my wrist.

“I mean it. At least, I could at one point. I love you. I want to marry you.”

“I know, love. Now get some sleep.” I kiss his hand and he smiles.

I really hope that he remembers what he said tomorrow. Or maybe I don’t. I’m not sure. I know Bunce will remember. Maybe it was just his drunken thoughts.

It was probably just his drunken thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, twice in a week. I feel so proud.
> 
> You like that ending, there? Cause I did. 
> 
> I loved writing this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Simon**

I wake up to the god awful noise of a blender.

“Baz,” I mumble, “I swear to‒ to someone! If you don’t stop that noise right now, I will kill someone.”

My face is pushed into my pillow, so I can’t see anything, but I hear Baz walk into the room.

“Ah, Sleeping Beauty is awake. I didn’t even have to kiss you to rouse you from your deep slumber,” He says, amused.

“What time is it?”

“12:05, love.”

I groan. “Is the room dark?”

He stays silent for a moment, then says, “Very. I can only see because of my vampire vision.”

“Then why don’t I believe you?”

“I don’t know. But I can promise you that the room is not bright.”

“I’m trusting you, Basil,” I say. I roll over and open my eyes. The light is blinding. I groan and throw a pillow towards the sound of Baz’s laughter.

“Well, it’s not too bright for me. You, however, are pretty hungover.”

“What happened last night?”

“Well, Bunce and I each had a glass of wine at dinner and then a beer at the first bar we stopped at. You and Micah, well, you guys each had a beer at dinner, then a beer at every bar we stopped at. Then a few shots at the last one.”

“How many bars did we go to?”

“Oh, five or six, if I had to guess. Also, there was one point when I was not with you for a good five minutes, so you might have had another drink during that time.”

I groan. “Why did you let me do that?”

“You get pretty funny when you’re drunk. And then super sweet. Also, I tried to stop you, but you wouldn’t listen to me."

“Did I say anything I’m going to regret later?”

“Well...”

“Baz,” I say, in the most serious tone I can muster, “what did I say?”

“Nothing bad. Just talking about how much you love me.”

“Can you get me some Advil? Like, ten of them?”

“I can give you two, but you’re going to have sit up. Then, you should probably get out of bed. I made a greasy breakfast.”

“I know, I can smell it, it’s sickening.”

“Love, you’re hungover, everything is sickening,” Baz calls from the bathroom.

“Just shut up and give me the painkillers.”

“I like drunk you much better than hungover you.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

Baz walks back into the bedroom with a glass of water. He sets it on my bedside table, then hands me the pills.

“You really should be more aware of how much you drink. It could get you in trouble some day."

I down the pills then take another sip of water. “I know. But it’s not like I do this all the time. Only on special occasions.”

He offers his hand and I take it, pulling myself up. He kisses my cheek, then walks back into the kitchen.

 

**Penny**

“Well,” I say, as Baz walks back into the kitchen, “at least one of them is up.”

“‘Up’ is pushing it,” Baz says, pouring himself another cup of tea.

“I think that it was the shots that sent them over. Who does shots last? I mean, honestly, do they have any common sense?”

“I was drunk, it was Comic-Con,” A voice calls from my room.

“Micah, you can’t keep quoting Felicia Day.”

“I can and I will, Penny.”

“Who’s Felicia Day?” Simon asks, walking into the kitchen and hugging Baz from behind.

Micah walks in too and takes a dramatic breath. “She is a precious child who should be protected at all costs. Let me just show you a picture of this woman.” He unplugs his phone and pulls up a picture.

“Oh, yeah, she was in The Guild, right?” Baz asks.

“Baz, everything you have ever done to wrong me has now been forgiven,” Micah says.

“I’ve never seen it, but Mordelia keeps telling me to watch it.”

“I have no clue what that is,” Simon says into Baz’s back.

“Micah,” I say, “I give you permission to show to show the boys The Guild, but only once. And you may not quote it constantly. And no pausing it every five minutes so you can tell us some interesting fact about the filming of this part, or so you can talk about how Tink is a bitch and shouldn’t be taking advantage of Vork.”

“First of all, she takes advantage of Bladezz, not Vork. Second of all, I really think that to enjoy the whole thing, you need to watch it at least three times. Just saying.”

“Who Tink takes advantage of is beside the point. The point is, not everyone loves the things you do.”

“Fine.” He turns to Simon and Baz. “Boys, today, we begin your education.”

 

**Baz**

Simon groans into my shirt.

“I think we should get the Chosen One some coffee, first,” I say.

“Basil, if you call me that one more time, I’ll‒ ”

“You won’t do anything because you love me. And you probably have a splitting migraine right now,” I start to raise my voice, just to see how long it takes for him to shut me up, “and any loud noises would surely make you sick.” I’m shouting now.

“Penny,” Simon says, “can this be considered abuse?”

“Simon, you’re being dramatic.”

“Micah?”

“According to the ‘Healthy Relationships’ class I had to take during eighth grade, no.”

I turn so I’m facing Simon and rest my chin on his head.

“Your back is much warmer than your chest,” He says.

“I suppose that would cause some discomfort then, wouldn’t it?”

“Micah, are you sure they taught you right?”

“Pretty sure, Simon.”

“Okay. Let’s go get some coffee, then.”

“I thought we had some here,” Bunce says.

“Well, we did, but last time Baz was home, I tried to make coffee, except I kept messing up.”

“We went through an entire can and all of our filters. And our French press is broken, props to Simon’s wings,” I say.

“That reminds me,” Micah says. He walks over to a bag near the front door. He comes back with a bag of beans. “Seattle’s best. Came from my aunt. My roommate and I have twelve more bags in our dorm, so I thought I might bring you guys some.” He sets it on the counter.

“Since we still have no way to make it, let’s go to that coffee shop down the street,” Penny suggests.

“That sounds like work, Penny,” Simon says.

“Simon,” She says, “you’re being dramatic.” She grabs a scarf, slips on her boots, and walks out the door. The rest of us scramble to catch up.

 

**Simon**

Baz and I walk with hands intertwined, letting Penny and Micah lead the way. They were talking about their plans after they graduate from their respective university.

“Baz, are you sure I didn’t say anything I’m going to regret? You keep looking at me weird,” I say. Baz’s face goes pink. He must still have some blood in his system from the rare steak he had last night. Or maybe Daphne sent another deer that I didn’t see.

“I-I… Nothing you’ll regret. I don’t think.”

When Baz has a hard time talking, I know I’m in trouble. “Did I _do_ anything that I’m going to regret?”

“N-not really. I mean, you embarrassed yourself plenty, talking about how I was, quote, ‘really handsome’ and you were unsure as to whether or not I was, in fact, your boyfriend. And you forgot that you had wings and a tail. So nothing you’ll regret, really.”

I am never going to hear the end of this. Maybe I should listen to Baz more often. Honestly, he’s really smart.

We follow Penny and Micah into the coffee shop and place our orders. It’s the middle of rush hour, but the coffee shop is quiet.

“I’ve always wanted to work in a coffee shop,” Baz says as we sit down on a couch.

“Really? Why?”

“I don’t know. Fire mage’s instinct? When I was little, Mum and I used to bake together in the summer. During the school year, sometimes Cook Pritchard would let me help her. Of course, that was before I actually attended Watford.”

“When I was little, I dreamed of being a florist.”

Baz started laughing. Penny and Micah come over with our drinks. (And a scone for me.) (It’s not sour cherry, it’s only blueberry. And it’s not as good as Watford’s.)

“What?” Micah asks, taking a sip of his latte.

“S-Snow wanted t-to be a florist when he was little,” Baz says in between laughs.

Micah chokes on his coffee. Penny hits him in the shoulder with a book. Where did she get a book? Did she bring it with her?

“Shut up, Basil. If you knew why then you wouldn’t be laughing,” Penny said.

“How come she knew that you wanted to be a florist and I didn’t?” Baz asks, straightening up.

“Because you never asked. Penny and I talked about it all the time when we were first years,” I say.

“Snow, why did you want to be a florist?"

“I’m so glad you asked, Pitch.

“When I was little, in and out of different foster homes, I always thought about what life would be like when I could work.

“I had this friend, I was probably eight, he was probably fifteen. He was new to the system‒ his parents died in a freak accident while he was at his friend’s house. He always told me that life would get better. That the world would become colourful. Whenever I asked him how, he would say ‘Snowman, when you find something that brings people happiness, you savour it. You share it with everyone.’

“A few months before I left that foster home, he was taken in. Before he left, he gave me a flower and said ‘This brings me happiness. Does it make you happy?’ Of course, I said it did. ‘Snowman,’ he said, ‘you go share that happiness with someone, and hope they share their happiness with someone. That’s how you spread colour to the world.’ After he left, I took care of the flower until I couldn’t do anymore.

“Before I left that home, I went out and ‒with the help of my new foster parents‒ I bought flowers for the staff, telling them to share the happiness. After that, experience, I thought that the best thing for me to do when I grew up was to be a florist, so I could spread colour to the world.”

Everyone’s quiet. Penny smiles‒ she’s already heard this story thousands of times‒ and Micah looks like he’s about to cry.

“That’s so sweet,” Micah says quietly.

“I still tear up when I hear it, even after all these years,” Penny says.

Then there’s Baz.

Baz stares at me. He stares like I’m a lost puppy. Stares like there’s something he could do. Like there’s something he should do. Then he kisses me.

“I never knew that,” He says, after pulling away. Then he grins. “He called you ‘Snowman’?”

“I told everyone my name was Snow because I didn’t like Simon. Nick decided that he didn’t like Snow so he called me Snowman. He’s the only one who ever called me that,” I say.

“Can I call you Snowman?” Micah asks.

“No. Never. That goes for all of you.” Baz frowns and gives me puppy dog eyes. “Even you, princess. No amount of flattery will change that.”

“Hey, that’s my line,” Baz says, sneering.

“Okay, here’s the plan. Everyone graduates, then either I move to England or you all move to America. Simon and Baz can open a bakery and a flower shop next door to each other. We visit Agatha a few times a year, and everyone is happy.” We all laugh.

I think it would be fun to live near Micah, Penny, and Agatha. I mean, obviously, Pen and I live together now, but that’s only because we can’t afford places on our own and Penny doesn’t trust me. Maybe a change of scenery wouldn’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! 
> 
> Look at this, I think this makes 3 chapters this week. Don't you just love winter break?
> 
> Too bad that ends tomorrow...
> 
> Anywho, Felicia Day is an angel, if you haven't seen The Guild [Netflix, YouTube], Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog [YouTube, Amazon], or the Flog (Felicia's youtube series) then I recommend you check it out.
> 
> Don't you just love incorporating moving Simon backstories into works? Because, boy, I sure do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Micah**

“I can’t believe you’re leaving already,” Simon says.

“Well, it has been a week, Simon.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Simon mumbles.

We’re sitting in the kitchen at the island. Simon has a cup of tea in each hand. He claims one is for Baz, but he’s eyeing it like it won’t last that long. I have a smoothie that Penny made yesterday, but I’m not sure if I want to drink it. I think it has spinach in it. And peaches. I’m not fond of peaches.

“It’s like having a delicious carpet in your mouth,” Penny said once.

“I don’t want a carpet in my mouth. I want food in my mouth,” I replied.

The little pig timer goes off, shaking me out of my thoughts of disdain. Simon grins. You’d think that he would despise scones, as they are a reminder of a large part of his life that disappeared. He doesn’t though. It almost seems like he enjoys them more.

“Penny,” Simon shouts, “if you don’t get out here soon, all of these scones will be gone. Every single one of them.”

“Simon,” Penny calls from the bedroom, “if you eat all of those scones, I may just cast a These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For on all the ingredients for scones so you’ll have to go out and buy them. And we both know you don’t have enough money to fund your addiction.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“You want to test that idea?”

Simon looks at me. “I wouldn’t if I were you,” I say. “She probably would.”

Simon frowns. He looks over at the bedroom, then back at the tray in his hands. He takes one off the pan and looks longingly at the rest of them. I honestly can’t understand how someone can be so in love with scones. They’re dry and crumbly. And they have too much flour in them.

I finish my smoothie and pour myself a cup of tea. The only reason I’m drinking it is because I need the caffeine, and there still isn’t any way to make coffee in their apartment. It’s unacceptable.

**Simon**

“Shit!” I hear Penny yell.

“What? What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Oh, I think I broke my leg. It’s fine.”

“Here, let me cast a Back to Start,” Baz says.

“No! Look, if you broke your leg, Back to Start doesn’t guarantee it’ll set right. You need to see a Normal doctor,” I say, running into Penny’s bedroom. She’s sitting on the ground with her back against a bookshelf.

“Simon, it’s not that big of a deal. It’ll be fine.”

“It absolutely won’t be,” I insist.

“Fine, but at least let me get Micah to the airport first.”

I stare at her in disbelief. “Penny, you broke your leg! How do you expect to drive him there?”

“I’ll magick the car.”

I groan.

“I’ll take him,” Baz volunteers.

“There,” Micah says, “see? Problem solved. Now Simon can take Pen to the Urgent Care Center and I can catch my flight.” He walks over to Penny and picks her up, carrying her bridal style.

“I’m not going to some Urgent Care Center,” Penny says as Micah carries her out. “I’ll have Simon take me to see Doctor Wellbelove.”

I look over at Baz. “Are you sure you want to take Micah to the airport? I mean, I could take him and you could take Penny.”

“I’m sure, love.”

“And you promise not to scare him?”

“Simon, what exactly do you expect me to do? Not let him get out of the car until he touches my fangs?”

I look at my feet.

“Seriously? Do you honestly think I would do that?”

“No. Not now, anyways. I mean, when we were fifth years, I thought you would realise that I knew something and you would end up blackmailing me or something.”

“Why would I blackmail you? You’re the one who had dirt on me.”

“I was too scared to think of that. I wasn’t exactly thinking logically.”

“Simon.” Baz takes my hands in his. I meet his eyes.

“I  _ never _ truly wanted to kill you. Not even seriously maim you. I loved you, and I hated myself for that, but I never really hated you.”

“I know. I mean, obviously I do.” I take a shaky breath. “I love you.”

“I know.” He drops my hands.

I grab his wrist before he’s out of my reach.

“I really love you.”

Baz kisses me. Lightly. Then he steps away.

“You should get going,” He says. “Penny’s leg isn’t getting any better.”

“Right. Of course.” I rush past him to the living room, where Penny is lying on the couch.

Penny tries to cast a spell, but she can’t find her voice. Micah looks up at me.

“Can you get her downstairs? I’m going to call a cab so you and Baz can take the car,” I say. Micah nods.

Baz stands in the doorway of Penny’s room. He watches me as I pull on my coat and wrap a scarf around my neck. He stays silent the whole time. I watch as he walks towards me.

He grabs the ends of my scarf and pulls me in. He kisses me again. It’s longer than last time, but it’s still not long enough. Then he puts his hand on my shoulders and turns me around, pushing me out the door.

**Baz**

I don’t like lying to Simon, so I don’t say anything to him.

I’m not lying about not hurting Micah. I just can’t promise that he won’t be uncomfortable. That sounds wrong. Nothing bad will happen. I should just stop here. I’m just making it worse.

Micah walks back in.

“I just have to grab my bag and I’ll be ready,” he says.

“Okay.”

This is going to be awkward. I’m not good in awkward situations. Dangerous situations, I can handle. Romantic situations, mostly. But awkward situations will be the death of me.

Micah rolls his suitcase into the living room. He’s fidgeting with his sleeve.

“All set then?” I ask.

“Um… yeah, I think so.”

“Right, then.” I clear my throat.

Crowley, couldn’t Daphne have taught me how to handle this? Great, I know how to match a suit to the right pair of shoes, but talk to people? Psh, who needs to know how to do that.

Micah grabs his bag and follows me out the door. We shuffle down the hall side by side, desperately trying to avoid each other’s eyes. We step into the lift and I hit the button labeled G. It lights up and the numbers above the buttons start to descend. Then they slow. And stop. But not on the right floor. Or any floor, for that matter. They just flicker and sputter out. Then the elevator jolts.

“Shit!” Micah yells, hitting the paneling on the side. “I thought European elevators were supposed to be better than this.”

“They are,” I say. Then I look at the plaque below the buttons. “‘Made in Britain’. That explains a lot.”

“Was that an IT Crowd reference?”

“Micah, we are going to become very good friends.”

“Wording, Basil. There was a much less creepy way to say that.” He grins.

“I was raised to talk down to people,” I say. “I don’t usually say kind things. Forgive my phrasing.”

Micah smiles. “Of course.”

He looks at me, and for a moment I consider hugging him. Or shaking his hand, at least. I mean, I was awful to him when he was at Watford, but he seems to have completely forgiven me.

But alas, I miss my opportunity. The elevator jolts and starts moving again.

“Thank God. I thought I would have to find a different flight.”

“That would suck. You have any reason to go back so quickly?”

“Oh, it’s National Pie day on Monday, and my buddies and I always go out in search of free pie. We’ve been doing it since we were young.”

Americans are weird. More worried about pie than their girlfriends.

“That’s...” How do I phrase this so it doesn’t sound insulting?

“Stupid, I know. But it’s tradition. And without our traditions, we’d be as shaky as… as...”

“As a fiddler on the roof!” I exclaim, grinning.

Micah laughs. “Exactly! As a fiddler on the roof.”

We exit the lift, still laughing. We laugh all the way to the car, muttering quotes in between fits of laughter.

“Basil,” Micah says as he gets in the car, “it’s a shame I took so long to get to know you.”

“That it is, Micah. That it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took waaaaayyyyy too long to write. I mean really.
> 
> Everyone else really liking the friendship that's blooming between Baz and Micah?
> 
> Just so you guys know, the next chapter is probably a few weeks away. My beta has been really sick lately so I've been hesitant to write until she's better. (If anyone wants, I'm trying to find another beta for this. I'd appreciate it.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Penny**

“Look, Pen,” Simon says, “I don’t want to be  _ that guy _ but is everything okay with you and Micah?”

“Simon, could you focus on driving instead of my love life?”

“I  _ am _ focusing on driving. I’m also asking about your love life. Micah’s my friend, and you’re my best friend. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

I sigh. “Look, everything is fine between Micah and I. It’s just… It’s hard to talk to him in real life. I mean, we text all the time, and we face time, but when we’re actually together, I don’t know.”

Simon glances over at me. He has concern splayed all over his face. He looks like a golden retriever that lost its ball. 

“Don’t look at me like that,” I say. “Don’t give me the pity look. Please.”

“I’m not!” Simon exclaims.

“You are! Look, just because you and Baz are as close as ever, doesn’t mean I don’t love Micah.”

Simon looks at me. “Does Micah know that?”

“Know what? Go, the light’s green.”

“Know that you love him.”

“I-” I falter. Does Micah know that I love him? Have I ever actually told him that?

“I mean, you’ve told him that, right?”

“I think so…”

“Penny, how could you not know if you told your boyfriend you love him? It’s like one of the most important things in a relationship. It goes 1. First Date, 2. First Kiss, 3. First I Love You, 4. Move in together, 5. Proposal. HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW?”

“Hold on. Let me check my texts. I must have said it at least once.” I pull out my phone and search the words “I love you”. Agatha, Simon, my parents, but no Micah. I tried “love u”, Agatha, Baz, Simon, my parents, a number I don’t have a contact for. I tried just “love”. Finally, I see Micah’s contact pop up. I scroll through, looking at the highlighted messages.

“Penny?”

I start to read them aloud. “‘I love this movie’, with a screenshot from  _ The Road to El Dorado _ . ‘I love your mom, she’s the best’, with a picture of a gift basket from his mom. ‘I love puppies’, in response to a question about a dog. ‘The word love is so weird. Lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove. So is ladle’, just randomly. There was no context to that last one. Simon, I’ve never told him I love him.” I start to cry.

“Penny, this is just the shock talking. I’m sorry I ever brought it up.”

“No, no, you were right. The man I’m in love with doesn’t even know I love him. How fucked up is that?” I’m sobbing now. Simon looks over at me, then pulls into a petrol station.

“Look, I hate to stop the car because we really need to get you to Dr. Wellbelove, but you should really try to calm down. We don’t need him to pull in a psychiatrist, as well.”

I take a deep breath. “You’re right. Um, I’m gonna go fix my make up.”

“Penny, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but your fucking leg is broken. There are some makeup wipes in the console. We’ve still got ten minutes. I’ll call him and let him know we’re coming.”

Simon takes out his phone and dials Dr. Wellbelove, then pulls back onto the road. After he hangs up, we sit in silence. I think about calling Micah, but I would rather Simon didn’t hear what I have to say. It would be the kind of thing I’ll never live down, to say the least. I tried to text him, but I restarted 12 different times. Was it always this hard? It’s not like I’ve never texted him before.

We pull into the parking lot. Simon notices me staring at my phone.

“Did you text him?”

“Well, I was going to, but I can’t figure out what to say.” I look up and take in the building in front of us. Only two stories, weathered bricks, covered in ivy. Not much like a doctor’s office, in my opinion.

“Give me your phone.”

“What? No! I’m not going to let you tell my boyfriend I love him. That’s my job.”

“No, you’re in shock. I’m taking your phone so you don’t say anything you might regret. I’ll give it back to you after Doctor Wellbelove has looked over you.”

I don’t bother arguing with him. There’s no point. When he gets started on something, you can’t stop him. It’s kind of annoying, sometimes. 

Simon takes a deep breath. “Right, okay. Let’s do this.” He gets out of the car and walks over to the passenger side. I open the door and go to get out, but Simon gives me a look, and I let him pick me up. Like I said. No point in arguing.

Simon carries me to the doors and looks at me before pushing them open with a forceful kick. And in we go.

  

**Micah**

“It’s really a shame that you live so far away,” I say. 

“Yeah. I think it’s put a strain on Penny’s and my relationship. But you probably don’t care about that.”

“No, I’d like to hear your point of view. I mean, Penny and I have talked about you and Simon over glasses of wine before ‒all good things, I assure you‒ but I want to know what you think.”

Micah shifts in his seat. He grimaces, then opens his mouth, and closes it again. Finally, he finds the ability to speak again, and he says, “It’s complicated.”

I gesture for him to continue. He fiddles with his thumbs for a moment, then goes on. “I feel like we never talk about important things. I mean, I’ve never even told her I love her. Not really, anyways. We don’t even know what to talk about when we see each other in person.” Now he’s opening up.

He sits there in silence for a moment. “Maybe I should ‘miss’ my flight. I mean, wouldn’t it be a shame. But at least I’d get to spend some more time with Penny.”

“You sure? I mean, wouldn’t you miss that pie thing with your friends?”

“I’m sure they’d understand.”  
  
“Well, the flat is definitely available for you.”

“Can you guarantee that? I mean, you don’t technically live there.”

“Okay, but my boyfriend does, and my best friend. Besides, you’re always welcome there. If you were to stay in the UK for any extent of time, you’d practically be living there.”

Micah smiles. He’s quite attractive. I might consider dating him, were he queer and a few inches shorter. And maybe if he had curly hair. And if he had a smaller nose. Okay, so maybe I have a type. Sue me. Or maybe I am just hopelessly in love with those bronze curls and ocean eyes. My god, I’m gay.

I shake myself out of my thoughts. “So what do you say?”

“I can’t believe I missed my flight. It’s a damn shame. Whatever am I going to do?”

“I guess you’ll just have to stay for a while. I should call Simon and make sure it’s okay that you crash at his place.”

We start laughing. Like, really laughing. I pull over, into an abandoned petrol station. Micah wipes tears out of his eyes.

“Okay, okay,” Micah says, “shut up. I need to call Penny.”

I pull myself together. But as soon as Micah looks over at me, we start laughing again. Nothing about the situation was particularly funny. At all. I think we’re actually insane.

“Okay,” Micah says, after a good five minutes of laughing. “I’m calling her now.” He pulls out his phone and hits one. Penny’s picture pops up. She’s wearing the dress she wore to the Leavers’ Ball. She isn’t looking at the camera, but she still smiles like everyone’s watching.

“That’s cute,” I say.

He smiles and nods. “I took it at my sister’s wedding.”

“You have a sister?” Micah nods and holds up 3 fingers. “Me too.”

“Oh, Simon, hey! Can I talk to Penny? No? Oh… Babe, how are you? Okay... So, I kind of missed my flight… Yeah, no, I read the ticket wrong… I realise that… But hey, the bright side is, I can stay with you… Yeah... Yup… Okay… Okay… Yeah… Bye babe.”

Micah lets the phone drop to his lap. He sits there for a minute.

“What’d she say?”

“Well, she said ‘I’m fine now talk to Simon before I say something stupid because of pain,’ so Simon took the phone and I told him about missing my flight. Then I said bye to Penny, who said something about penguins? It was definitely a good idea to take her to a doctor.” 

I chuckle. “Who knew she would be a softy when she’s in pain.”

“Yeah… Let’s go get some coffee.”

“Pret a Manger or Caffe Nero?”

“Whichever has weaker coffee. Italians brew it so strong. I need, like, six things of creamer and five sugar packets to get it to taste right.”

“Typical American.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Okay, Pret A Manger it is, then.”

“We should get some scones for Simon. I think Penny ate all of them, just in spite of Simon.”

“Well, I helped with that. But yeah, we’ll grab some.”

“Thanks for this, man. I never thought three years ago that‒” I falter. I can’t actually say this, can I? That’d be incredibly rude.

“That we would actually be friends?”

I blush. “Yeah.”

“Neither did I.”

“I’m glad we changed that.”

“Me too.”

 

**Simon**

Penny’s phone rings. I look at the caller ID. “Pen, Micah’s calling. Should I answer it or let it go to voicemail.”

“Mmmmm… Answer it.”

I look at her skeptically for a moment. “Okay… Hello.”

“Oh, Simon. Hey! Can I talk to Penny?”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” I say.

“No?”

“Does he want to talk to me?” Penny asks. I nod. “Hand me the phone.”

“Hey, babe. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, now talk to Simon before I say something stupid because of pain.”  Penny offers me the phone. I look at her, and she picks up a cotton ball and starts tossing it. Doctor Wellbelove gave her some painkillers and put her leg in a splint, but we’re still waiting for some paperwork. Penny keeps poking my arm with my tail and laughing.

I smile at her and take the phone from her. Micah says he missed his flight. That he read the ticket wrong. I don’t believe him. I know there’s a reason that Baz offered to take Micah. He was plotting. But what was he trying to accomplish?

I start to say goodbye, but Penny sticks out her hand. I look at her, an eyebrow raised.

“Let me talk to him.”

I frown but hand her the phone.

“Micah,” she says seriously, “what can you tell me about penguins? Did you know that they can’t fly? Did you know that there are penguins in Africa? Did you know they can drink sea water? These are important things to know, Micah.”

One of the receptionists looks over at us. I smile and nod. She looks unamused. I wonder what she’s thinking. If she thinks Penny and I are dating. If she thinks we’re just a couple of reckless kids. Is she a mage or a Normal? Does she know we’re mages?

Finally, she calls Penny’s name and I walk up to the desk. “You’re all set. Your paperwork went through. Don’t let her drive, or make any important decisions.” She eyes me. “Your girlfriend seems very nice. My wife would like her.”

I smile. “Actually, she’s my boyfriend’s best friend. Well, she’s my best friend too, but they’ve got the kind of friendship where they share a glass of wine and talk about me. She’s really my impulse control.”

This time, it’s the old woman who smiles. “Have a nice day, young man.”

“Thank you,” I squint at her name tag, “Lucy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, I'm actually alive!
> 
> No real excuses, I just haven't been writing. But it's summer now. My last exam was on Wednesday, and I am free for the next 2 and a half months. Which still probably won't get me very far, but...
> 
> Gotta love that little ending, there. Who's Lucy? Does she come back? Is she Simon's mother?  
>  Find out next time on "I Finally Decided to Write Again, and Here's the Outcome of My 3 AM Ramblings"


	9. Chapter 9

**Simon**

I take out my phone as soon as we get in the car. I open my messages and see that Baz texted me.

  
_1:03_  
Baz: Hey, don’t tell Penny, but we’re gonna hijack her relationship.  
_1:07_  
Baz: For good  
_1:10_  
Baz: Like, not forever, for good, but like, for the opposite of evil, for good.  
_1:13_  
Baz: I’m just gonna stop now.

I chuckle. Baz may act all suave, but he can be a real hot mess sometimes. It’s like when a normal person is drunk. But he’s cool when he’s drunk. When he’s low on blood, however, he can get a little… well, a little like me. Rambling. Like I am now.

“Hey Simon,” Penny says, softly.

“Yeah, Pen?”

“Did you know the Mage had a girlfriend named Lucy?”

“He what?”

“Yeah, my mom says that Lucy and Davy ‒the Mage‒ were always together. She thought it was gross.”

“That’s nice Pen. Do you think that woman was the Mage’s girlfriend?”

“No. I think that Davy’s Lucy lives in America. I mean, where else would she be?”

“Okay, Pen.” I pull out of the parking lot.

We sit in silence for most of the ride home.

“Simon,” Penny says at one point.

“Yes, Penny?”

“I think I want to marry Micah.”

“Are you going to propose to him?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to marry Baz?”

The question takes me by surprise. “I- I mean, I don’t‒ I haven’t thought about it.”

“Really? Because last week, you said you did.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. When we went out drinking. We were in the cab and you were rambling, and Baz told you to stop talking before you said something stupid, and you said ‘Like what, marry me?’ then freaked out about your wings.”

I blush. It must have been a long night.

Penny gasps.

“What? Are you okay? Does your leg hurt? Do I need to pull over?”

“We should get married.”

“Um… Pen… You’re like a sister to me.”

“Not like that, Simon. I mean we should propose to our boyfriends.”

“That would be something, wouldn’t it?” I smile

  
**Baz**

“Hey, Micah?” I ask as we sip our coffee.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“How much do you remember from the night we went drinking?”

Micah goes still. His eyes focus on the rim of his cup. “Everything.”

“What do you think about what Simon said?” I break a chunk off of a chocolate chunk scone.

“About moving to America?”

I cough. “What?”

“Oh shit. Did you not hear that conversation?”

“No! I heard a conversation you two had about you moving to England, but I certainly did not hear a conversation about him moving to America.” I can’t believe Simon didn’t tell me about that. Has he thought about moving to America before?

“Well‒ I mean, I don’t think he’s totally serious, he was pretty drunk...”

“Well, what I was going to ask about was him talking in the cab on the way back to the flat.”

“Oh.”

“I think...”

“You want to marry him?”

“Yeah. I do.” I blush.

“You should propose,” Micah says.

“You think? I mean...”

“Baz, if you love him, which you obviously do, and you can picture yourself spending the rest of your life with him, then, of course, you should.”

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you obviously love Penelope, that’s no question. And if you guys got married, you could live together and see each other all the time, not just once in a while. I mean, it’s our last year of Uni. Then we’ll officially be functioning adults.”

Micah swirls his coffee in his hand. “God. I can’t believe it’s already our last year of college. Where did time go?”

“I wish I knew. I feel like I just met Simon yesterday.” I look down at my scone. I used to hate scones. I thought they were dry and crumbly, and super overrated. But Simon eats them so much that I took one every once in a while, and they started to grow on me. “I can’t believe that I’m bloody in love with Simon Snow.”

“Hey, man, I thought it was pretty crazy at first too. I mean, you’re all suave and stuff with the ladies, they all fawn over you. But they fawn over Simon too.”

I laugh. “Yeah, gay culture is attracting all the females in the vicinity.”

“Oh my god you’re referencing a meme. I never thought this day would come! O’ World! You’ve granted this man the ability to be normal! How kind you are.” Micah moves his hands around, making ridiculous gestures. People on the streets stare. I sit there and laugh. And it’s the first time I’ve laughed with someone other than Penny or Simon in a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ho! So I realize that it's been since, like, June and this chapter is kinda super short, but I swear I'm hopping back on. Sort of. My midterms were done like 3 weeks ago, but my teachers haven't given us a break until now, so now is when I return. I definitely had some mental blocks, but I am back on track and ready to go.
> 
> Well, as promised in last chapter's notes, here are more of my 3 am ramblings. And I'm finally getting this to go somewhere, so go sleep deprived me!


	10. Chapter 10

**Penny**

I have officially been engaged to Micah for a month. A year after I broke my leg. Funnily enough, he got to propose before I did. I guess I know what his answer would have been. Funnier still is on the night Micah proposed, Baz proposed to Simon. But the funniest part is that they both did it on FaceTime and it was all on the same video. Baz proposed to Simon from Uni and Micah proposed to me from a pie shop near his dorm. Simon and I sat next to each other on the couch, each holding our own phone. It was definitely planned out, but I think Simon was in on it too.

But the important thing about a month of being engaged is that I still haven’t told Agatha or my parents. I’m not sure which to call first. Micah isn’t either. All his buddies at the pie shop (It was national pie day, of course) knew. But he hasn’t told his family either. I decide to tell the one person who I know will react well.

I open my contacts and scroll down to Gay Vampire Half-Roomate. I tap on his picture, one I took at the Leavers’ Ball. He’s glaring at me, and Simon’s tail is wrapped around his waist, but Simon isn’t in the frame.

He picks up after two rings.

“What’s up, Bunce?”

“Baz, I’m engaged.”

“Oh, Crowley, Pen. I’m so happy for you. Who’s the lucky book?” I can practically hear him sneering. But I can’t help but grin. Baz knows what to say, and he knows when to say it.

“I just needed to tell someone,” I whisper into the phone.

“Why are we whispering?” Baz asks, his voice low

“Because I’m keeping it a secret. I haven’t told anyone yet.”

“So, I should get off the bell tower and turn off my megaphone? You mean you don’t want me to tell the entire university?”

“Nobody wants to know anyway”

“I do,” Says a new voice.

“Mordelia, no one cares about you what you want.” Baz again.

“Hi, Mordelia!” I shout. I doubt she heard me, but I don’t think it really matters.

“Well, Pen, this has been lovely, but I have to go drain Mordelia. I’m running low, ya know.” Mordelia screams in the background and Baz chuckles. I hang up and stare at my phone for a moment longer.

 

**Agatha**

“Hey, it’s Simon! I’m obviously not here, so I’m probably picking up a fresh batch of scones. Leave a message after the beep. Beeeeeep. Joking. Not that beep. The real one.”

I breathe in. I breathe out. I do a little dance. It’s how I get all my jitters out. It works. I feel calmer already. I take one more deep breath, then the tone plays. “Hey, Simon, it’s Ags. I just thought I’d call, see how everything is going, talk to you about something. It’s kind of important, so when you get a chance, call me back. Thanks, I think. Bye.”

My phone rings less than a minute later.

“Hey, sorry Ags. How are you? I couldn’t find my phone for a second there. I started to worry. It ended up being right in front of me, but of course, I ran all around the flat first. So anyway, how are you?”

“Geez, Simon. Give a girl a chance to respond.” I laugh. “Um… I’ve been good. I started listening to that band you told me about. They’re pretty good.”

“Oh, the Lumineers? Yeah. Kind of Indie Rock. Mumford and Sons are another good one. They’ve got similar music. So anyway, you called about something important?”

This is it, I think. I breathe. I jump. I breathe. I say, “I’m ace” a thousand times in my head. But all I can manage out loud is “Yeah.”

“Well? What’s up?”

“Okay. So you know how the whole time we were dating, I never really seemed interested in kissing you?”

“Crowley, Agatha. Way to be blunt.”

“Listen, this is important.” I breathe. I jump. I breathe. “There’s a reason for that. I’m… I’m...” I can’t say it. I can’t admit it to him.

“Gay? Join the club.” Simon chuckles.

“Not quite, but…”

“Holy shit. I was joking. Are you actually queer?”

“Kind of, yeah. I’m ace. Wow. I can’t believe I just said that.” I start to panic a bit. I cannot have a panic attack right now. That is not an option. I will not have that here. America is supposed to be carefree. That’s what it’s gonna be.

“Hey,” Simon says softly, hearing my breathing get faster. “I’m so proud of you. So so proud of you. I know how hard it is to admit that you’re not like everyone else. I know it’s stressful, but you’re more than just a girl who rejects all sexual advances. You’re so much more than that. So embrace it, and the panic will leave. Right?”

“When did you realize that you liked Baz? That you were queer?” I just need him to keep talking. His voice keeps me calm.

“Well, those are two different questions. I realized I like Baz after I kissed him during Holiday to keep him from killing himself. And even then I didn’t really know. It was just an impulse thing.”

“Yeah, most of your actions are,” I say, my voice coming back to me. My confidence.

“Haha. Well anyway. All I know is it just felt right. Now, I didn’t actually think about my sexuality until a while later. All I knew was that I needed him, and he was there with me the whole way. You’ll know it’s right. I guess it’s a little different for you, but I think you’ll still feel it.”

“Wow, Simon. I‒” There’s a beep. I look down and see Penny is calling. “Well that was really sweet, and I appreciate you letting me talk to you about this all. And for understanding. Especially for understanding. I’ve got to go, Penny’s on the other line.”

“Anytime Ags. It was good to hear from you again.”

“Yeah, you too. Bye!” I switch over to Penny’s call. “Hey, Pen.”

“Hey! Agatha. Sorry, was this a bad time?”

“No, I was just talking to Simon. What’s up?”

“Um… A lot, actually. I’m getting married.”

“You’re what?”

“Yeah. I’m getting married.”

“Oh my GOD! Tell me everything! When where how! I have to know!”

“Wait, I should get Simon on the phone too,” Penny says.

“Um… Why? Have you not told him? You guys literally live together.”

“It’s complicated, hold on.”   
  


**Simon**

Penny yells my name. I scramble to get off my bed and into the living room. Can’t have Penny mad at me. That would be a terrible start to the day. I mean, it’s not really a start to the day, because it’s like 3 o’clock, but still. I think it’s always bad when Penny yells your name across the flat.

“I’m here, nothing’s broken, the dishes are in the wash, I’ll clean any rings off the coffee table!” I shout as I run in.

“Damn, Pen,” A voice on the phone says, “you’ve got him trained.” Agatha’s voice.

“Now that Simon’s here…. Last month, over facetime, blatantly asking.”

“I’m confused,” I say.

“So am I. Why did Simon have to be here. Also, those are not details. Those are vague subject areas that you must explain thoroughly.”

“I figured Simon should hear the conversation. He was right next to me, in the same vid chat.”

“No way. He did it while Simon was there?”

“I’m sorry,” I interrupt, “what are we talking about? Because it sounds vaguely sexual and I don’t remember any of this.”

“Crowley no. We’re talking about Micah proposing,” Penny says, rolling her eyes.

Ohhhhhhhh, that explains a lot. “Gotcha,” I say.

Penny explains how Micah started getting all sappy, and cheesy, and then he grabbed a pie from the table and how he had the chef write “Will you marry me” in the top, and how all his buddies and everyone in the pie shop clapped. She doesn’t say anything about Baz. That must be why I’m here.

When she’s done, Agatha is just about sobbing. “That’s so cute oh my god!”

Then there’s another voice. “Ags, who are you talking to?”

“Hey, Kal. I’m talking to Pen and Simon. You know, the ones in the picture on the mirror. Penny’s just told me she’s engaged!” She keeps a picture of us on her mirror? That’s weird. Should I have a picture of her in the flat? Oh well. I’ve got one of her on my phone, that’s close enough.

“Anyway,” Penny says over the squealing, “Simon’s here to tell you some news too.”

I am? “Uhhhh… yeah. News. Right. I’ve got that.”

“Simon, why didn’t you tell me like five minutes ago? We were just talking.”

“You seemed stressed, I didn’t want to add on to it. So, uh… Baz and I are getting married too.” I brace myself for more squealing. It doesn’t come. “Crowley, Ags, don’t get too excited.”

Then she starts laughing. Like, actually laughing. Then it turns to wheezing. I don’t understand what’s so funny. Then Penny starts laughing. I sit and do the thing I know how to do best. Pout. Penny looks over at me and laughs harder. Then she starts wiping away tears. 

“I’m confused. I told you the same thing Penny did, and you two are laughing.”

They settle down enough to get a few words out. “When we first met Baz, you said if you had to spend every day of the next eight years with him, you would kill yourself,” Agatha says and laughs again.

Penny takes over. “Now, you’re going to spend every day of your life with him, and you couldn’t be happier.” She breaks down.

“Whatever. I’m gonna call someone who loves me because obviously you two don’t.” I call Baz.

 

**Baz**

I laugh. “You said what?” My dorm room is empty. Mordelia left to 

“Great, now you’re laughing at me,” Simon says. “Listen, I was like 11, I grew up in the system, you grew up rich. I didn’t like you.”

“And now you’re hopelessly in love with me.” I sneer.

“No, that’s you. I just kinda like you,” Simon says, snickering.

“In any case, you know Wellbelove is excited.”

“Yeah. So does Mordelia know? Or your parents?”

“Delia does. I told her this afternoon at lunch. She made quite a scene.”

“Yeah,” Simon says, “but can you blame her? I’m amazing.”

“Yeah,” I reply, grinning. “All bronze curls and blue eyes and freckles. I can’t help it.”

“Crowley, Baz” I hear Penny say. “Save it for the bedroom. The rest of us don’t need to hear that.”

“Simon, am I on speaker?”

He clears his throat. “Love you, gotta go.”

But he doesn’t go. He waits for me to reply. He always does. I pause for a second, just to make him wait longer. “Love you too. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Wait, see? Tonight?” I bring the phone away from my face, just slow enough to hear him call my name one more time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, look at me go! I got two chapters done in two weeks
> 
> Much to come, definitely far from over, and I have lots of plans for my babes. They get more fun to write with every chapter


	11. Chapter 11

**Micah**  

“Oh my god I can’t do this. I literally cannot do this.” I look in the mirror at my reflection. “I mean, I can’t make everything perfect so what’s the point. I should have just eloped in Vegas like a normal American.” I know it’s pointless talking out loud. I mean, there’s no one else here. I’m about to start talking myself down when someone knocks on the door. I hope it’s Baz. Or my best man.

I walk over to the door and look through the peephole. I don’t see anyone, but I open it anyway. I poke my head out to see Agatha pacing a few feet past the door. She sees me and runs over.

“Is there anyone here besides you?” She asks. She sounds stressed.

“No, why?”

“I just needed to get out of the bridesmaids’ room. There is so much energy in there and so many British accents and it was such an overload. I figured an American voice might help.”

“Oh, well you’re just in time for my epic prewedding freakout.”

“Ooh, I’ve heard good reviews. The Times said it was a show that you should avoid if at all possible. I think the Post said that it was, quote, ‘The most terrifying thing since IT,’ which sounds very promising.”

“Oh yeah. I might as well catch you up. It started with ‘I can’t do this, I should have eloped in Vegas’. Now I’m halfway across the world in Italy. I don’t even speak Italian. I took French in elementary school. Why didn’t we do it in France? France is a romantic place. Or any country that speaks English! I hear that Germany is very lovely this time of year, and I think they speak good English. Agatha, I’m losing my mind, and this is supposed to be the happiest day of my life.”

“Yeah,” Agatha says. Then she slaps me in the face. “I hope that helps. I tried to channel Penelope. I feel like I did a good job, but it took a lot of energy, and I don’t want to have to cover your face with foundation before your wedding, so you’d better not make me do that again.”

I smile. “That was much needed, thanks.”

“So,” she says, “walk me through this. I mean, you love Penny, and you have a weird bromance with Simon, and Baz is… well, Baz is Baz. So what is going on inside your head that’s sending out warning alarms?”

“I just want everything to be perfect. I mean, Penny is the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and I really want this to go well. And I want our families to get along, and for Baz’s family to chill the fuck out and be less edgy than normal. And I can’t help but worry that something is gonna go wrong like someone is gonna get sick in the middle of the service, or someone doesn’t understand that we’re doing to back to back services, or that‒”

“Stop. Micah, none of these things are things you can control. That’s why you have me, and the rest of the wedding party. I mean, at least let me and Jared‒ that is your best man’s name right?”

“Yeah, Jared.”

“Okay. At least let me and Jared take care of it. That’s why you guys trusted us. I know it’s hard not to have control on such important matters, but you know that we’ll take care of everything.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Ags. Oh, I need a new nickname for you other than Ags. Because there was this girl at college last year named Agatha who followed me everywhere and nagged me about everything, and we called her Ags that Nags, and now that’s just forever in my head. I think I’ll call you Cath.”

“Where on Earth do you get ‘Cath’ from?”

“Okay, so I figure I drop the first and last A’s from your name, but that’s ‘Gath’ and that’s just weird, and if you change the G to a C, it sounds more like a name. It’s like Cathy but shorter.”

“Cath. I like it. Sounds like a plan, Mike and Ike.” She grins as she walks towards the door.

“Never call me that again,” I call after her, grinning. “Wait!”

She turns back. “What?”

“Cath, what about my vows?”

“Penny would love anything you wrote. Actually, even if you just read a Dr. Seuss book, she’d probably still love it.”

I grin. “Yeah, you’re right. You know she loves some Theodore Geisel.” We laugh and I shut the door behind Agatha. I’m glad she stopped by for my freak out. I’m really glad it wasn’t Baz right now. He wouldn’t let this go. He knows how to stay calm and collected in all kinds of situations.

 

**Baz**

I run down three different hallways until I figure out where I’m going. This place is enormous, I’m never gonna make it in time. I really hope he’s here. I hope this works out. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be some creep. That really would not be helpful. Then I wouldn’t have had to run around with an untied bowtie hanging around my neck, looking like an idiot. Good thing Simon doesn’t know about this. He thinks I’m having wine with Bunce before she gets into her dress. I can’t wait to see his face.

“Erm… Basil?” I hear from behind me.

“Nick?” I whip around looking for the voice.

“Yeah.”

“Oh thank Merlin!” I run over and hug him. “You have no idea how much this means to me. I mean, how much it will mean to Simon, which in turn, means a lot to me. And I’m rambling again. I’m sorry.” I take a breath.

“So you’re Snowman’s soon-to-be husband. I can’t wait to see him after all these years. I’m glad you reached out to me.”

My face flushes when I realise the reality of what’s before me. Nick is a Normal. Simon has wings and a tail, which we have out today because this is a Mage only service. Except Nick is a _Normal_. I can’t believe I didn’t think about this. I need to call Agatha.

“So, Nick, before you meet him, I need to make a quick call. Wait here a minute.”

“Of course. Take all the time you need.”

“Thanks.” I smile at him then slip around the corner and walk down a corridor. I call Wellbelove as soon as I’m sure I’m out of earshot.

“Oh my goddddd,” she says as soon as she picks up the phone. “Why can’t you two just be happy? You both were the ones who proposed!”

“Crowley Agatha, what did I do to you?”

“Sorry, I just left Micah’s room. He was having a small mental breakdown, but I fixed him. What’s up?”

“Okay, so when Simon was in the system, he had a friend named Nick, who called him Snowman and inspired him to be a florist and an all around good person. Well, I thought it would be nice to invite him to the wedding, as a surprise for Simon, you know?”

“Okay, so what’s the problem, did he not show up?”

“No, he showed up. The problem is they met in the system.”

“So? What’s wrong with th‒ Oh Shit they met in the system. The foster care system. The Normal foster care system. Fuck Baz. Oh my god.”

“I know! So my question is, do I hope that the aura just covers up the fact that there is literally Magick everywhere, or do I tell him everything and hope his brain doesn’t explode? I mean, just his being in the building is risky.”

“Wait, he’s here now? And you’ve left him alone? I’m gonna go to Simon’s room and make sure he’s staying there. And as for your question, tell him. He’s here for a boy who has wings and a tail that aren’t tucked in today. I believe in you, be gentle, and if his brain explodes, only you and I will know. Good luck, love you, bye.” She hangs up on me, so I’m left to fix something before it starts. I go back around the corner and sit next to Nick.

“Okay, so there are some things you need to know going into this wedding. One, we’re actually doing a double service with our best friends, Micah and Penny. Two, Snow and I are getting married second, and we’re in Penny and Micah’s wedding, Simon is actually Penny’s best man, because they both have best men because the part of maid of honor was already taken. Actually, that wasn’t that important. Third, Simon has wings and a tail and we’re all Mages. You are the only non-magical person here. All set?”

“I’m sorry, what?”

I sigh. “Yeah okay, this obviously isn’t something I can skip over. Alright, let’s start from the beginning. So there’s a whole nother world out there, and it’s called the World of Mages. It coexists with the Normal world‒ that’s what we call non-magical people. Now when Simon was born, he tore a kind of hole in the magical world, and we don’t know who his parents are, which is extremely uncommon for mages. Anyway, Simon was put in a foster home and when he turned 11, he was taken out of the system by the headmaster of the wizarding school in Europe, Watford and sent there. That’s when we met. Now, by our 8th year, a lot of shit went down, and my family manor burnt down and we had to kill the headmaster, and Simon’s friend died and our friend Agatha moved to America. Anyway, the Mage‒ that’s the headmaster‒ turned out to be evil, and in order to defeat him, Simon had to fill the hole he created when he was born, which meant losing his magic. So now here we are. Does that make enough sense?”

“Yeah, sure. But why does he have wings and a tail? Because I don’t think he had those when I knew him.”

“Oh, right. Okay, so when Simon got mad, he’d ‘go off’ and stuff tended to start to catch on fire. Well, he accidentally started a forest fire after he saved me from certain death‒ which is really a lovely story, you’ll have to remind me to tell it to you later‒ and went off. And my family didn’t know I was in love with him, so I was sure they would be angry, because who wouldn’t be, and so I told him to run. Now, I’m not exactly sure how he got the wings because he says he just thought about them and they appeared, which is completely unheard of, but it’s Simon, so… Anyway, he got to Penny’s house then had to leave again, and when he lost his magic, he couldn’t get rid of the wings.”

“So he’s just stuck with them?”

“Yeah. Penny and I usually magick them so you can’t see them, and supposedly there’s an aura that protects Normals, but we’re not sure what they see. So we can’t know what you’ll see, whether it’s what’s actually there or some weird fairy wings or nothing at all. But there are no spells on them today because my step-mom and Penny’s mom decided that he should just embrace himself.”

“Wow. That’s a lot to take in. You’re a lot like Snowman, with that energy.”

“I want you to know that I’m pretty sure that’s the most I’ve said to anyone at one time ever. So yeah.”

“I’m honored. And ready to see Snowman.”

I grin. “Really?”

“Yeah.” He laughs. “I can’t believe he’s getting married.”

“Yeah. I’ll call the Maid of Honour and let her know we’re on our way up.”

“Awesome.”

I redial Agatha’s number. “We’re on our way up. The situation is handled.”

“What situation?” That’s not Agatha’s voice.

“Crowley, Snow. Nothing. I was expecting Agatha. Where is she?”

“Oh, she’s putting on lipstick. So you’re coming up?”

“Yeah, coming up, I’ll see in a minute. Love you.” I hang up and gesture for Nick to follow me. We get into the elevator, which ends up taking more time than the stairs. I’m nervous. I hope Simon reacts well.

We get off and walk over to Simon’s and my room. He chose to get ready in our room, and I took Micah’s, but I was done before he got there. I take out the key and open the door. He comes up to me and kisses me, then gasps and covers his eyes.

“What on earth are you doing, Snow?”

“Merlin, Baz, not even a Simon on our wedding day?”

“No. Why are you doing that?”

“Because it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.” He grins.

Nick laughs behind me. Simon uncovers his eyes. “I know your laugh and that wasn’t it. Who’s behind you?”

I take Nick’s hand and pull him out from behind the door. He gives a small wave, looks Simon up and down, looks at me, and says, “He grew up well, Basil. Good for you. Nice cheekbones. I like the wings and tail. Really fit his personality. Although I think they would have been better if they were white. Then he really would be a snowman.” Nick grins and straightens up.

  


**Simon**

Agatha comes over at one point the check on me and do her makeup.

“It’s too loud and British down the hall,” she says.

“Penny, I’m loud and British,” I remind her.

“Yes,” she says, “but you’re not five girls. You’re one you.”

“Shouldn’t there only be four? I thought Pen and Baz were having a glass of wine before she got dressed.”

“Oh, right. Yeah. Four. It’s just so busy that it felt like five.”

She sets her phone down on the table, and I pick it up so I can find videos on how to tie a bowtie.

“Didn’t Baz teach you how to do that in like, 8th year? At his Christmas party?”

“Yeah, but I was still pretty sure I hated him at that point, so I didn’t really listen. Also, he was very close to me when he was teaching me, so I got a little distracted anyway.”

Agatha laughs. “You’re a hopeless case,” she says. She takes out her lipstick and starts to put it on when her phone rings. She gets up to get it, but I answer it. It’s Baz, so I put it on speakerphone.

“We’re on our way up. The situation is handled,” Baz says.

What the hell? “What situation?” Did something happen? Are they hiding something? What’s happening right now?

A minute or so later, Baz is at the door. I kiss him, lay a line on him, then hear a laugh. Baz pulls someone out from behind him. He looks familiar. How do I know him? Was he at Watford with us? Is he one of Baz’s cousins? No that can’t be, he doesn’t have black hair. How do I know him? I don’t realize he’s talking until he says, “Although I think they would have been better if they were white. Then he really would be a snowman.” A snowman? A Snowman!

“NICK!” I shout and run forward to hug him. I hear Baz tell him to brace himself, but by that point, it’s too late. I almost knock him over. Baz smirks.

I get off of Nick and look over at Baz. “You did this?”

He nods. I pull him in close and hug him. I rest my face in the crook of his neck and stay there. I think I might cry. I don’t want him to see that, so I stay there until I’m sure I won’t. Eventually, I kiss his neck and then his lips. “Thank you,” I say softly. He nods, then turns me back to Nick.

Nick smiles again. Then he ties my bowtie. “How have you not learned how to do this?”

“Well, Baz tried to teach me the first time I had dinner with his family, but I was kinda distracted.”

Agatha chimes in now too. “Baz was ‘too close for Simon to think straight’ that night.” She grins.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what I said.”

“I’m pretty sure Simon makes a point of never learning how to tie a bowtie, just so I do it every time for him,” Baz says.

I furrow my brows. “I do not!”

“Alright, love. Well, next time you wear one we’ll see if you remember.”

I huff and let Nick finish tying it. He finishes it with a tap at the center and stands back to admire his work.

“Never did I think that I would be tying the bow tie of my little Snowman for his wedding. Thank you, Baz,” Nick says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I should head out, you guys still have a bit to do before the weddings. I’ll see you at the reception.” He waves as he leaves.

“I think this is my cue as well,” Agatha says and shuts the door behind her.

“How did you find him?” I ask, going back over to Baz.

“Well, I went back to the map we used when we were looking for the Humdrum and found where you were when you were 8. From there, I contacted the home and explained the situation.”

“And that worked?”

“Oh, not at all. I called later and said he was a witness in an old case that was reopened and we needed to find him. That made them much more eager to help.”

“You pretended you were the police? Merlin and Morgana, Baz.”

“So anyway, they helped me narrow down his location until he was 18, and by that point, I had a name to work with. So I messaged him on Facebook and told him that you were getting married and I thought it would be awesome if he was there. I told him how you wanted to be a florist because of him, and he was so excited about it. He asked about your soon-to-be wife because apparently, you were a ladies’ man in the home.”

“Ha. I was the exact opposite. I think most of the girls were scared of me until I gave them flowers.”

“Anyway, I got such a kick out of that. And I’m really glad you guys remember each other because otherwise, that would have been a lot of work down the drain.”

I hug him again. “You never cease to surprise me, Tyrannus Basilton Pitch.”

He kisses me and smiles. “I’ll be sad if I ever do, Simon Snow. Well, carry on, we’ve got a wedding in less than an hour.”

“Wait,” I say. “One more for the road?” I grin as he shakes his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me go. I mean, two chapters in three weeks! Kinda pathetic but can you blame me? Writing is hard. No three a.m. ramblings this week, but I definitely have big plans for Saturday, which is probably the next day I'll even open this so...
> 
> This was honestly my favorite chapter to write so far. I am so looking forward to what's coming next :)


End file.
